Shadows of the Damned a “psychological action thriller” from Suda51 and co. isn’t a game that was on my radar, but it is one that I’m glad to to have played. It’s become a sleeper hit (at least for me) and I’ve found it to be one of the more enjoyable games I’ve played in a few months.

Shadows is a third-person action game, which might make you think that it’s just another Gears of War clone. There are elements of that, but it’s not overly concerned with firing from behind cover. The game is more interested in the fight between light and dark, the former of which is at your disposal thanks to a demonic sidekick who happens to turn into a gun (which can turn golden goat heads into light sources). If that all sounds a bit crazy, know this: that’s just a taste of the what this game has in store for you.

You play as demon hunter Garcia Hotspur in this Grindhouse-inspired (aka: filled with cursing, gore, and innuendo) game. The action is basic–think God of War–but the cinematics are fun–think Bayonetta–and the happenings are insanely weird–well, uh, Bayonetta again. It’s childish at moments, and it’s too ridiculous to take seriously, but it’s good for a laugh and a few gross-out moments.

There are some rough edges to SotD, like out of sync voiceovers, but there are some major surprises too. Akira Yamaoka’s music really stood out to me. There is some excellent, Spanish-inspired guitar work that has me looking forward to this game’s soundtrack.

There are a lot of areas where this game can be dinged–for muddy graphics, so-so animations, invisible gates that keep you from seemingly open areas, and a weird frame rate drop whenever you melee a wall–but none of those really bothered me. I found Shadows of the Damned to be an enjoyable play experience with fun shooting, lots of save points, no overly complex mechanics, and a main character that I couldn’t stop myself from liking.

I’d write more about the game, but there isn’t a lot more to say. It’s a crazy game with some immature humor and a veyr fun world. Getting too bogged down in the story or gameplay or mechanic would be missing the point. If you’ve wanted to play a Suda game, but found them to be impenetrable or you a just looking for something fun during the summer release lull, this is a good game to try.